Mew Aqua
by elavyeth
Summary: The Mews and aliens face a crisis... Someone misterious appears, to turn things upside down with some discoveries about mew aqua. A new Mew? Or a foe? And Kishu relives a big mistake he made in his past... in the worst way. Enjoy my 1st TMM fanfiction!XD
1. The Blue Gem

elavyeth: This is my first fanfiction for Tokyo Mew Mew (which i do not own!); theres a new character in it I think you'll find interesting. Or I hope, lol. :P

Anyway, enjoy and review the first chapter.

**Part One ****– Rebirth**

There was a full moon high and a warm breeze that summer night. Tokyo was quiet and still. Few lonely resisting windows had their lights on... But the city was widely asleep.

It was 4 am.

Somewhere deep in a park, a black vigorous horse appeared. Huffing and puffing, walking around slowly... Sniffing the floor as if looking for something. With his blood red eyes glowing, he stopped near what seemed to be a limp body on the floor. He neighed low and poked the head with his muzzle, trying to get it awake. As there was no response, he impatiently thumped his hoof on the grass repeatedly and neighed again, more insistent this time.

A very faint blue light was born in the body's chest. In answer, one similar also appeared on the horse. It grew stonger every instant...

The horse was now shaking his head violently, nervous and in pain... Neighing even higher with the suffering. An then in the blue light a woman's body was trembling without control, still unconcious... Her mouth opened wide and when the pain became humanely unbearable, as the light grew impossible to look at, she left out a long frightfully high pitched scream of agony.

There was an explosion of blue, like a neutron bomb... And her scream was heard throughout Tokyo and further. The birds flew away from trees in panic and the glass in windows vibrated.

Then it stopped.

And there was silence. Absolute silence.

The black horse leaned on his front legs in exhaustion. The woman was on her feet, breathing hard and fast. She had no clothes. Her eyes were glowing in blue, but it slowly faded away... Just to show a leaf green iris. The horse stood up next to her and leaned his head agaisnt her shoulder. The warm breeze turned into strong wind, wiping her very long hair off her face.

Hundreds of lights were turned on in the vicinity and many scared people opened the windows to see what had just happened outside. But there was nothing left to see. The couple had vanished... They were gone.

**Part Two – Urgency**

Like thunder Pai rushed into the infirmary room, holding Kishu on his showlder. He was bleeding terribly… A blue pendant hung from a silver chain on his neck. A shinny blue gemstone.

The day was definitely not going well… Not since he discovered frightening news.

"_Why the horse __face, Pai?" Kishu said giggling._

_Pai sighed, gathering the infinite patience he needed not to kill him. "I've been looking through some data of our planet."_

_Kishu looked bored. "So?"_

"_So… I found some things that concern me." There was a moment of silence, only broken by the beeps of the computer._

_Kishu finally yawned. "Are you going to spit it out? Or do I have to sit here all day?" he said, while examining his claws._

_Pai let go of the keyboard and stared at the hologram screen for a while. "You remember when we brought that piece of the mew aqua with us? We put it in our life source and, almost instantly, every living being that was capable of coexisting here multiplied... Not to mention the weather improvement, we coul__d finally go outside and build new homes instead of living in those frigid caves. And the soil turned fine for growing crops. It wasn't perfect in the beginning, but soon the environment became less rough, so we could finally live in the opening without having to rush into the caves for protection at night."_

_Kishu was becoming impatient. "Yes, I know all that. And you__r point is…?"_

"_Well," Pai took a deep breath "We're running out of mew aqua."_

_Kishu flew to the computer and turned to Pai. "So what? We use up whatever's left of it to improve our planet conditions even more." he said, optimistic. "I know it's not as perfect as the Earth our ancestors used to live in, but this is pretty good! That piece gave us enough to live on. If we don't have more, who cares? People will be happy to leave it this way."_

"_You thought the effect would last after the mew aqua was gone?" Pai asked._

"_Sure."_

_Pai looked at him with a dark face. "That's where you, me and everyone else were wrong."_

_The smirk on the green alien__'s face vanished. "What does that mean?"_

_Turning to watch the screen again, Pai showed an image that looked like a microscopic animal. "This is what I've been examining."_

_Kishu looked disappointed. "What, that little thing? And I thought you were being serious…"_

"_Just s__hut it and listen." A few more beeps and he started talking in a low voice. "This 'little thing' is a living indicator of the environment's changes. If the conditions improve, it will flourish and multiply very fast. But it the surroundings get worse… it also dies very fast in proportion."_

"_Ok… I'm listening, go on."_

"_The problem is, as the mew aqua is decreasing its strength, these animals are dying at an alarming rate. And not only that." He brings up more images of plants. "Look carefully… Just this era there were two fields that didn't grow anything, except a few lonely weeds… when they used to bring good crops. And also –"_

"_There's more?..." Kishu interrupted feeling numb._

"_Yes, there is. You noticed of course those small storms a few days ago? According to my calculations, there's a big one coming now. We'll probably have to take shelter in the caves… Again."_

_Kishu fell on his butt and his jaw dropped._

"_You're sure about this, Pai?..."_

"_Positive. Wish I wasn't…" The purple alien looked down at the green one in concern._

_Kishu tried to find some argument to prove this whole thing wrong, but all he could do was stutter. "S-so… all we did… all we've been through… was good for nothing…"_

_Pai scratched his chin__, pondering if he should say what he was going to say to Kishu. After all he was… him. "Well of course it wasn't for nothing, idiot. And we'll always have one way to fix it."_

_Kishu's ears arose in expectation. "And what's that?"_

"_Hmmm… To get more mew aqua of course, bu__t –" Before Pai could finish his sentence, Kishu was already up and smirking._

"_You mean going back to Earth? Yes!!" He started flying around talking to himself in delight. " I'__m going to get the ship ready, we leave first thing tomorrow! We need to warn Taruto as well and make preparations –"_

"_Kishu."_

"– _And it also means we're gonna see the Mews again... Well I think it's inevitable. I wonder if my koneko-chan is still the same after all this time!... He he he –"_

"_KISHU!!" Pai grabbed him by the collar and looked at him furiously just one inch away from his nose. "Stay with me here!! We don't need the Mews, we need mew aqua! This is not a trip to the zoo! Now stay focused, or you're banished from the expedition!!"_

_The green alien huffed with boredom. "Alright, alright! Just let go of me, you__'ll bruise my beautiful neck..."_

_A nerve popped on Pai's forehead. He was not taking this serious__ly… But before he could say anything else, he realised he was grabbing something more than his shirt. Some hard object like a pendant… And it was burning hot. He screamed an 'Ouch!!' and let go of him. "What the blazes have you got in there?!"_

_Without warning, the thing inside Kishu's shirt started glowing and vibrating. "Huh?! AAAAAAAAHH IT'S BURNING ME!! GET IT OFF!! GET IT OFF!!"_

_The glowing was so intense Pai couldn't see anything and was unable to get close. "Kishu!! Kishu, what's happening??"_

_Kishu tried to pull it off but it was already burning his chest, making him cry out with pain…_

"_KISHU!!" Pai tried desperately to reach him and the light kept pushing him back._

_Suddenly it all disappeared… As if nothing happened. The glow was gone._

_Kishu fell on his knees and collapsed on the floor unconcious. Pai ran to him._

"_Kishu! What happened?! Kishu!!" He ripped open his shirt and his eyes widened in shock. The green alien was burned in the chest and bleeding a lot. "Dear God…"_

_Hanging from__ a silver chain was the pendant, a blue gemstone with the size of a pebble. Pai carefully grabbed it with a piece of cloth to examine, but he realised the gem was no longer hot…_

"_Where did he get this?... I never saw this before…"_

_Kishu moaned, grinding his teeth with so much pain. Pai immediately helped him up and without hesitating, he took him to the infirmary.  
_


	2. Mew Marks

elavyeth: This chapter is a bit empty of contence, it's more of an inicial push to the story. I promise I'll give more spicey stuff on the next chapters, lol. It's just university is keeping me very busy lately. But I'll make my best to update again this very weekend.

Note: I noticed I used the name 'Kishu' (instead of the original Kisshu) on the first chapter, so I'm gonna leave it that way 'till the end of the story. No hard feelings, I hope. :P

Do not own TMM!

--

**Part One – (A)normality**

It was early in the morning when Ichigo left the house and headed to the café. Summer vacations were supposed to be a time of relaxation and enjoyment, but she had gotten used to this kind of life. Actually, she was beginning to prefer being with her closest friends on a daily basis. The fact that Masaya was attending Summer University didn't help much. Being alone most of the time was overwhelming for Ichigo. So she decided the way to keep her mind off of her boyfriend's absence was to hang out with the team. Even if there was no more Mew action, it's was definitely better to get pissed off because of Shirogane and Minto than to be at home all day sighing… alone.

As she walked through the park, the event that occurred the previous night came to her thoughts. She woke up in the middle of the night by someone screaming loudly… Almost fell off the bed because of that. And then through the curtains she saw a brief bluish lightening bolt or something like that. She expected to hear a thunder but there wasn't any, so she got out of bed and opened the window. No storm outside… Weird.

Also it was hard not to think about it, because the rumor told that it happened in that same park.

Ichigo stopped and looked around. It all seemed quite normal. No one would say there was some sort of huge explosion in there. And the birds were chirping happily again. The only thing unusual was the number of people that were walking around with pure morbid curiosity. She could hear some mention a dead body of a woman, who was positively raped and murdered, buried somewhere in the park. Ichigo looked rather nauseous. _"Some people are sick…"_

Looking at the time, she rushed her pace. It was a good day to make it to work on time, because for some reason Shirogane decided to close the café during the afternoon and give the team some time off. So she had to make the best of the morning.

She found the doors wide open when she arrived at the front of the café. Akasaka-san had just stepped outside holding the 'closed' sign-board. When he saw Ichigo, he waved at her.

"Good morning, Ichigo-san!" He said in a very polished and amiable voice. Even for him, such a tone was exaggerated… "Hi! Erm… Weren't we going to close only in the afternoon?" She tried hard to see if she had missed something of the conversation they had the day before. _'Shirogane said we were having the afternoon off, nothing else I think… I started planning a date with Masaya… Then I called him… Then I tripped and fell on Pudding… Nope, nothing new.'_

Akasaka-san scratched his head and smiled uncomfortable. "Ah… Ha ha… Well, yes we are going to work only in the morning."

Ichigo looked confused. "Then… Why are you placing that outside now?"

"Er… You'll find out why in a bit. Go inside now, Ryo is waiting for you." And with this he left to the backyard, avoiding the subject.

'_This is fishy.'_ Ichigo thought. _'And so early in the morning too… Nyaa! If I knew, I would have stayed in bed!'_

Still grumbling, Ichigo entered the café to see it empty. No girls, no Shirogane… not a soul.

"I thought Akasaka said he was waiting inside. Wait… He meant inside like… inside-_inside_?" She dropped her purse on a table and went downstairs. What would they be doing in the basement? After a bit she could hear agitated voices coming from the hideout. She finally got in. "Good morn-… Hey?!" She couldn't finish her sentence. Minto and Purin jumped and grabbed her, trying to lift her skirt. "What on earth are you trying to do?! Let go of me!" Her face turned completely red and it didn't help the fact that Shirogane was staring at her with keen interest.

"Ichigo! Stop fighting back, we need to confirm something important!" Minto got a good grip on her; but she wouldn't stay still long enough to see anything.

"And just what's there under my skirt that's so damn important?! Hentai!"

A vein popped up on Minto's forehead with the insult and she grabbed her even tighter.

"We want to see if Ichigo no onee-chan has the Mew mark, na no da!" Purin said smiling, now holding both Ichigo's legs.

"Aaahh moooooooooh!!" With a cat like jump she managed to get herself free, not without falling on her back because of the slippery floor. So much for cats always landing on their feet… Still blushing like there was no tomorrow, and cuddling her butt in pain, Ichigo huffed at them. "You could have asked me to check it myself! Ow…"

"We could have. But then you'd just ask why and blah blah blah and it would take a lot of time, 'cause you're too stubborn." Shirogane sneared.

"Well good morning to you too, miss congeniality…" Ichigo quickly turned around and after guaranteeing that no one could see, she lifted her skirt. And there it was! In the inner side of her thigh, the mark appeared again… What could that mean? She was afraid to even ask.

"Well?" Shirogane inquired. Everyone was staring at her with curiosity in absolute silence. Shirogane sighed. "From the dumb look on your face, I deduce that it has also appeared on you."

Ichigo fumed. "Why you little…"

"But that is a mere incident." Shirogane interrupted. "Possibly with some connection with the reason I called this meeting."

"There's something else that explains this?" Zakuro asked.

Shirogane talked while walking up to the big screen and turning on the computer. "Like I said, it's possible. Almost certain in fact."

Everyone got closer to him in a trance. Then the graphics and figures emerged on the screen. Ichigo remembered them from when they used to trace mew aqua back in those days.

Shirogane sat down and turned to face them. "Do any of you know of a strange thing that happened last night?"

Purin raised her hand almost instantly. "Hai, na no da! I saw a very pretty blue light that came into my room, na no da!"

"Yes, I saw it too..." Retasu confirmed. "I woke up and went to the kitchen to drink some water… And it scared me!..."

The other girls confirmed it too.

Shirogane smiled, clearly pleased with something. Zakuro raised an eyebrow. "You clearly know more about this than we do… Why don't you tell us, instead of keeping suspense?"

He then put on a very serious face, which confused them even more.

"I'm gonna be straight forward and say it. That big explosion you saw was no more and no less than mew aqua."

"What?!" They let out at the same time. Ichigo looked horrified. "A-are you sure?..."

"Positive." Shirogane confirmed. "The response was captured by the computer precisely. And your Mew marks are back on their original places. So there's no doubt about it."

This was too much for Ichigo, for a number of reasons she liked to keep for herself. Anger was growing inside her. "And why did you look so damn pleased a moment ago?!"

That sentence came out too fierce. Everyone was surprised at her reaction.

Retasu put her hand on her showlder. "Calm down, Ichigo-san… I know it's overwhelming, but it was not Shirogane-san's fault…"

But Ichigo wasn't convinced. This was not good at all… It was ominous. Four years had passed since they were in peace and leading a normal life and she wanted to stay that way. But then mew aqua appears… and of course it means something more then just that!

Shirogane stood up and broke her thoughts. "Sorry to burst your bubble, ladies, but the free afternoon will have to be canceled."

Ichigo was shocked. "What do you mean… canceled? I have a date…"

"Well you can't go. We need to search for the mew aqua."

That was it for her. "I haven't been with Masaya for a whole month! You're telling me that I can't be with him in the day he finally comes back?! And you made me come here at this hour to look for a crystal?? Screw you!!" She turned around and ran out the door and upstairs.

Akasaka-san was coming down and bumped against her. "Ah! Forgive me… Hey! Where are you going? Ichigo-san!" He went up again and called her from the front door, but she was already out of sight. He sighed and went back downstairs. _'I had a feeling about this…'_

**Part two – Long Story**

Pai was sitting right next to Kishu's bed.

He was a mess and sleeping soundly… His chest completely covered with bandages that the doctor would change every two hours to avoid infections.

Taruto came to visit him twice, but seeing that he was still asleep he decided to come back later.

It was very quiet in the room. Pai could almost hear his thoughts… although he preferred to hear Kishu babbling his usual nonsense… How could something like this be possible?

And there it was that little gemstone. Resting gently on his chest as if nothing had happened. Pai hadn't had the opportunity to examine it… And for some reason he couldn't remove it from the silver chain.

He was reaching for it again, when Kishu moaned in pain. Pai immediately pulled his hand back.

"Kishu? Are you awake?"

He turned his head and slowly opened his eyes. "W-where… am I…"

Pai helped him sit on the bed. "You're in the infirmary. Try not to move too much, you are burned on the chest."

Kishu looked at himself in confusion, but then it all started to come back to him. He grabbed the amulet hanging from his neck and stared at it in silence. A very sad silence…

"Where did you get that, Kishu?"

The green alien leaned his head against the wall and closed his eyes. "Someone gave it to me years ago." He said in a low voice. "It's a really long story…"


	3. Girl in Overall

elavyeth: Here's the 3rd chapter. :) Sorry to make you wait after that dreadful second chapter, lol. Enjoy!

Do not own TMM!

--

"_Where did you get that, Kishu? What is it?"_

_The green alien leaned his head against the wall and closed his eyes. "Someone gave it to me years ago." He said in a low voice. "It's a really long story…"_

--

**Part one – Long Story (cont)**

Pai found some more pillows in a cabinet and put them behind Kishu's back to keep him comfortable. Then he sat down and gave him an inquiring look.

"What?" Kishu said, avoiding Pai's stare.

"I'm waiting to hear that story." Pai pointed at the gem. "I tried to remove it for examination, but it won't get off. Whatever it is, it's no mere pendant. I want to know why you didn't tell me about it before."

Kishu sighed. "There was nothing to tell. This gemstone has no power whatsoever. Or so I thought until today…" He rubbed his chest in discomfort.

"Then how do you explain what happened?"

There was a long silence. They could hear the strong wind outside, a warning of the storm that was about to come. Pai waited patiently and let the other alien talk first. It took a while… but Kishu breathed deeply and finally started.

"Quite some time before the spirit of Deep Blue awoke, I was summoned for an expedition to planet Earth. Remember? Because of my superior navigation skills…" He smirked at Pai to tease him.

Pai simply grunted "Carry on."

"I made my preparations and repaired one of the spaceships in the hangar. After so much time without being used properly, I feared that they would have suffered severe damage." He scratched his bandages, his chest was itching. "And my fears were justified." Kishu looked at Pai apologetically. "I didn't say this to anyone but my landing on Earth was far from perfect. In fact… I almost died."

Pai's eyes widened and he turned even paler than he already was.

Kishu sensed a sermon coming up, so he kept talking. "Everything went nicely on my journey to Earth. When I saw the blue planet I prepared the ship to penetrate the atmosphere and sped up. But as I entered something went terribly wrong… Even to this day I can't imagine what it was. The ship started trembling violently and all the danger warnings turned on. I didn't even have time to do anything. In the next minute I was crashing and wrapped in flames."

Pai dropped his chin. He tried to think of something to say but nothing came out. He was surprised that Kishu was still standing there talking to him. He would most certainly have died in such a situation.

"How the heck… did you survive?"

Kishu straightened his back and held the pendant in front of his glittering eyes. "That's where the story begins."

_There were ship fragments scattered all over and flames covering the surrounding trees._

_Kishu dragged himself out of the ship and lied on the grass exhausted. He managed to go a sixty feet distance, leaving a trail of blood behind. Seriously wounded and breathing hard because of the smoke, he couldn't even lift his head to see where he was. All that was visible was green grass and trees above him. There was no doubt that he had reached his destination. "This is… too ironic…"_

_He tried to reach further away from the wrecked ship, but all he accomplished was one of his injuries getting worse and bleeding dangerously. He had cuts all over his legs, his arms were burned and his chest looked like it was ripped open. This was not good… Kishu didn't have the energy to lift a finger and he couldn't even ask for help. He was going to bleed to death._

_Lying there and hearing the crackle of the raging flames was torture…_

_Kishu was on the verge of unconsciousness when he heard something more than the fire. Footsteps… in the distance. And getting closer. Someone was coming and he couldn't defend himself. He rolled his head to the right side… And he saw a foggy silhouette, distorted by heat waves. A human maybe… that was walking towards him._

_Then he closed his eyes and finally fainted._

**Part two – Girl in Overall**

_Kishu felt a soothing warm breeze cuddling his hair and skin. In the air there was this perfumed scent he couldn't recognise. He didn't feel like opening his eyes… If he was dead he wouldn't mind. But he felt a pulsating pain coming from the wound in his chest and it woke him up completely._

_Kishu looked around, still feeling dizzy. He was in a cottage of some sort… And it was full of strange things to him. With a little effort he sat up and noticed bandages covering almost all of his body. And also… he was naked?! He quickly lifted the white sheet over him to confirm it and then sighed with relief after realising he still had his shorts on. Even if they were half destroyed…_

_Without being able to stand up, all he could do was to observe the peculiar place he was in. It was built in wood and had a simple but very cosy decoration. The bed he was sitting on was painted in navy blue and was very close to the floor. Next to it, a translucent purple curtain hanged from the ceiling. He pulled the curtain aside and there was a short round blue table ahead, with big blue and black cushions around it. On top of it was a jar of white and purple flowers. Kishu didn't recognise them, but the perfume he felt earlier was coming from them…_

_One of the walls had many shelves with books, jars with liquids in them, carved wooden dolls, several odd instruments and a blue box._

"_Almost everything in this place is blue and purple." Kishu sneered. But the truth was the light of all those objects made him feel good._

_He noticed there were only a door and three windows and all were open. That's why he felt the wind on his face… a soft draft. Surprisingly he wasn't cold._

_And then it hit him. "What the heck am I doing here?! I have to get out!" He shook his numbness away and stood up quickly – only to fall flat on the floor again because his legs were too weak._

"_Damn, I have to disappear! Oww crap…" The bandage on his chest was bright red, his wound opened again. "Shit… This just had to happen now…"_

_He suddenly raised his ears and stood silent. Footsteps again. He summoned one Dragon sword and did his best to get a good grip on it. "You'll die before you can kill me, filthy human."_

_Kishu was getting weaker and he's vision was blurring again. He stared nervously at the door. Then she saw the human appear._

"_Stop!! Stop right there! Come any closer and your dead!"_

_The human stopped at the door and simply stared at him in disbelief. Between blurs, Kishu could see who the figure was. A girl… He blinked twice and widened his eyes. She was a bit shorter than him. Her hair was light brown, straight and just bellow her bottom. Her skin was tanned and she was wearing a white dress, with a blue belt around her waist. Around her neck was a silver chain and a pendant of some sort hanged from it. But what petrified Kishu were her wide open leaf green eyes. She was certainly not afraid of him…_

"_Who are you?" Kishu shouted._

_She didn't answer. Instead she stepped forward. Kishu fell back and summoned his other sword. "Stay back, I said! If you touch me I'll rip you apart!"_

_The girl raised an eyebrow. She did as he asked. She pulled one of the cushions around the table, sat on it with her legs crossed and continued to stare at him._

_Now there was a small pool of blood underneath him. His wound was bleeding like crazy._

'_What am I going to do now?... My chest… I'm gonna die…' He dropped the swords on the floor and leaned against the bed._

_He could hardly bleed, yet he kept all his attention on the girl sitting across from him. Not that he could see much of her… his vision was clouded. He felt himself almost passing out again. The swords had disappeared from the floor._

'_This can't be happening…'_

_The girl looked at him like she was asking 'did you have enough pain already?'._

_Kishu felt like he had no choice. As he was draining his energy on the floor he swallowed his pride and gave up._

"_Help… Help… me… please…" He begged pitifully_

_She stood up slowly and stared at Kishu from above, smiling with a weird kind of compassion. Then she came closer to him and he could smell in her the same scent he smelled in the flowers._

_She kneeled and put her mouth next to his ear to speak in a whisper… "Good choice."_

_Kishu saw her green eyes and felt as if he'd lost a battle._


	4. Sayuri

elavyeth: Sorry about the delay. Hope you enjoy this one. :)

Do NOT own TMM.

--

_She stood up slowly and stared at Kishu from above, smiling with a weird kind of compassion. Then she came closer to him and he could smell in her the same scent he smelled in the flowers._

_She kneeled and put her mouth next to his ear to speak in a whisper… "Good choice."_

_Kishu saw her green eyes and felt as if he'd lost a battle._

_--_

**Part one – Girl in Overall (cont)**

_Kishu opened his eyelids heavily. He was dozed and his body was incredibly relaxed. With his eyes half-closed, he turned his head to the right. No sign of the girl… Yet it had been no dream. There he was in the cottage… with the same curtains, objects and cushions… and the same flowers on the small round table._

_But through the windows he could see the stars. Night had fallen already… He had no track of time anymore. 'If I keep erasing like this I'm gonna be stuck in here forever... Time to wake up, idiot.' Yet he still couldn't move. Not enough to stand on his own, at least. With huge effort, Kishu sat on the bed. He noticed he had new bandages on his chest and his other injuries were… almost healed? That was odd._

_There was__ a candid light in the cottage, which came from seven candles scattered around. The night sounds were refreshing. There was a cricket symphony outside and although he didn't know what it was, he listened delighted._

"_Where did the human go?" Kishu grumbled. "She's probably afraid I'll stab her when I see her." He looked around once more, this time with increased interest. He realised something else on the table besides the flowers. Plates and glasses… Suddenly his stomach growled loudly. Food… That was the basic need at the moment, aside from running away. And there it was, a table set for two. But there was nothing to eat._

"_Great… She treats my wounds but doesn't feed me. Clever girl she is." But there was some other smell in the air besides the flowers this time. Seamed like food being cooked… Hence the table for two? Anyway, he was so hungry he couldn't think. He was about to risk getting out of bed, when the door was opened._

"_What on earth do you think you're doing?" The girl scolded._

_Kishu froze and didn't know how to react. He was surprised he didn't hear her come in and had no time to get prepared. Besides he wasn't too sure about her intentions, although she didn't seam like she was out to kill him. She had a tray with lots of stuff that looked edible… That completely locked his attention._

"_Is that… food?" Kishu asked hopeful._

_The girl giggled. "You could say that, yes. Don't tell me you're hungry?" And she walked to the table, putting the treats on it. Then she looked at Kishu waiting for an obvious answer._

_It looked like she was having fun at his expense. Kishu frowned. "Is it hard to notice? Or are you that dumb?"_

_She put on a fake__ disappointed face and looked sadly at the food. "So you don't want to eat? And to think I prepared this meal with great care... I hate to waste food, but maybe the wolves will eat the rest…" She picked up the tray again and headed to the door._

_Kishu was dumbstruck. He couldn't believe it, she WAS playing with him!_

"_Hey! Where are you going with that?! Come back, I'm starving!" He shouted in a rather funny despair._

_The girl stopped and turned back smiling. "Glad to hear it!"_

_Kishu's blood was boiling. 'The damn woman made me beg...'_

_She__ walked up to him. Kishu leaned away from her, but she was faster than him. Before he knew, she sat beside him and put her hand on his forehead. It was incredibly warm and soft._

"_What are you doing?" He asked suspicious._

_After a few seconds she pulled it away. "You still have fever but it has come down a bit, so I think you'll be able to sit at the table and eat today." She said, smiling. "Now if you could just put your arm around my shoulders, I'll help you. Oh stop being an ass…" Kishu had summoned one sword was pointing it at her menacingly._

"_Don't touch me, weakling." He threatened, grinding his teeth._

_The girl sighed, completely serene. "You know, you are not going far with that toy. Besides, if I wanted to hurt you I would have done so in the past five days."_

_Kishu looked confused. "Fiv__e days? I've been out for five days?" He stared at her in disbelief. All she did was stare back. Again he felt helpless against those eyes._

_He made__ his sword disappear and put his arm around her shoulders. He almost jumped when he touched her. There was warmth in her body like a heat radiation… It felt weird. Then he felt her arm around his waist and her other hand on his chest. Uncomfortable, Kishu blushed immediately. "I'm only letting you do this because I desperately need to eat something." He said, looking away._

"_Fair enough." The girl smirked. Then she held him even tighter. "Here we go. Grab onto me so you don't fall on your butt."_

_With small steps, she helped Kishu get to the table and sit down on one of the cushions. Once he was comfortable, she picked up a candle and placed it in the middle of the table._

_Kishu was observing her every move. She was going to take the flower vase off the table, but he stopped her. "Leave them. They smell good…" He asked, embarrassed with his sudden reaction. It was visible that she was very pleased with his request. "Why are you smiling? Did I say something funny?"_

_She sat down and started putting food on his plate. "No, I just really like these. Glad they don't disturb you."_

_Kishu looked at them puzzled. "What are they?"_

"_Lilies. M__y favourites."_

_Kishu repeated the word in his head, so he wouldn't forget. Then he started eating. Oohhh it tasted so good… He was so hungry he could eat everything he saw._

_They ate in silence. Well… there wasn't much silence with Kishu's frenetic munching. After the girl filled his plate a second time, he cleaned his mouth and looked at her. She didn't look like a threat at all. Like he concluded earlier, she was shorter than him and very elegant too. Her face had very defined but soft lines of a certain kind of innocence and her eyelashes were imense. Her hair was loose behind her back and bended when touching the ground. It was really long and golden brown and a fringe touched her tanned skin. That was why the green of her eyes popped out like that. And then she wore this white and thin dress._

_She noticed his gaze. "Need anything?" She asked with a hint of bother in her voice._

_Kishu snapped out of it and started eating again. When he finished his second plate, he scratched his chest and looked out the window. "Where am I? Is this planet Earth?"_

_She smiled. "A small part of it."_

_He l__ooked back at her. "What is this small part? And where?"_

_The girl put down the fork and knife with a weird expression on her face. "This is my island. It doesn't matter where it is."_

_Kishu was a little surprised at her reaction. Then he realised something. "I don't know your name, human. Tell me your name." He ordered._

_The girl looked defiantly at him. "Only if you tell me yours first."_

_He huffed. "Why?"_

"_You crashed against my planet, burned the trees in my island, slept on my bed and ate my food. I think I have that right." She said amused, counting her fingers._

_Kishu looked away annoyed. "You rescued me because you wanted to."_

_She looked serious__. "Would you prefer I'd left you there to die?"_

'_No way…' Thought Kishu. Even if she was a human, he couldn't help feeling relieved by her miraculous presence at that moment… He might be stubborn, but never ungrateful._

"_Kishu." He said, avoiding her eyes and swallowing his pride. "That's my name."_

_She didn't reply right away. Instead she picked a white lily from the vase and carefully put it behind her ear._

"_My name is Sayuri__. It means small lily."_

_Kishu widened his eyes. She did smell like those flowers. There wasn't a more befitting name. He looked at her… this time with gratitude. "Thank you… Sayuri."_

_She picked another flower and gave it to him. "You're welcome, Kishu!" She said playfully._

**Part two – Flickering Candle**

After he closed the café, Akasaka returned to the basement. When he arrived, Shirogane was packing up the laptop and grabbing the car keys.

"Ryou… You know we need Ichigo-san to look for the mew aqua."

Shirogane sighed and sat down. "Yes, I know. But how do you ask her to use her sadness to help us? I mean, you saw how she left the café. If I'd say something like that it would be an insult."

Akasaka leaned against the wall and stared at the floor. "The girls say that things between her and Ayoama-san are not good. That's why she's been so gloomy. Sounds wrong to ask her such a thing."

"Still we need her. She's been the most reliable mew aqua detector in the past, even if it's not ethic to say so." Shirogane got up and put on his coat. Then he grabbed the computer and headed to the door. "Let's call the Mew Mews, we have to do this with or without her."

Both left the room and went outside the café. Zakuro, Minto, Retasu and Purin were already waiting in the back yard.

"Ready, people? Come with me, my car is over there." Shirogane said.

"Your car? I thought the mew aqua appeared in this park…" Zakuro asked.

While walking out the park, Shirogane explained. "It did appear here, but strangely enough it's been moving around."

"What do you mean with 'moving'?"

"It has been unstable… appearing and disappearing as it pleases and changing place. It was quite tricky to locate it last night… And it's still moving, but it seams like it has settled in a small park some twenty miles from here." Shirogane said, almost breathless.

When they got into the car, Zakuro gave Shirogane a worried look. "Why do you think this is happening?"

He scratched his head clueless. "I have no idea, but I think we shouldn't just let it pass."

Without any more questions, he started the engine and off they went.

After a ten minute journey, they stopped at a very green park. Not many people were there, just some couples and old folks.

They parked the car and got out. Akasaka turned on the computer and started tracing the signal. "I got it. It's quite strong… Follow me." And he entered the park, followed by the others. Purin was delighted with how many big trees grew there. The floor was gravel, and by squinting she could see a fountain a bit ahead. With no warning, she ran towards is. "Water na no da!! He he he he!"

"Oy, Purin! Wait a moment! Gaahh… That girl..." Shirogane complained.

When Purin finally reached the fountain she took off her shoes and jumped right in, throwing water everywhere. It wasn't until after she made a mess that she realised someone was sitting on the stone edge. A woman was now completely wet because of Purin's splashing, but she didn't seam to be upset. Instead she was observing Purin amused.

Purin blushed and stepped out of the fountain. "I'm sorry, one-chan! I didn't see you, na no da…"

The woman smiled at her. She was wearing a simple white summer dress and leather sandals. Her long hair was waving in the wind. Purin couldn't see her face very well because she was standing against the sunlight.

"Purin! Stay right there!" Minto yelled. They were getting closer and Akasaka spotted the mew aqua. They ran to her and Shirogane saw the woman. He exchanged a look with his buddy. "We have to ask her to leave under some pretext…"

Akasaka nodded. "Leave it to me."

He put down the computer and turned to her. "Erm… Madam, would you mind leaving for now? We need to run a test on the fountain's water quality… I'm terribly sorry for disturbing you." He said, with his usual amiable smile. She looked up and Akasaka froze for a moment. The greenest eyes he had ever seen… Also the coldest.

She simply stood up to leave. Purin waved her goodbye and she waved back with surprise. And then she left without saying a word, calmly walking towards the trees.

They all started looking into the water hastily. After a few minutes of failed attempts, they sat down to think. "We really need Ichigo here…" Shirogane sighed.

"Let me check one more time." Akasaka placed the computer on his lap. His face when blank when he looked at the screen. "It's… moving…"

Shirogane jumped. "What? Let me see." There it was… the little blue spot moving. "What the heck…? It's going away!"

All their heads turned in that direction and saw the woman walking… There was no one else around and the mew aqua started moving as soon as she went away. Could it be… that she had it?

"Wait! Lady, wait a minute!" Shirogane gave the idea no second thought and started running.

The others stared at him confused and had no time to react. Instead they just watched him speeding up after her.

But when he thought he was getting closer, the improbable happens. She disappears… just like that – poof. Shirogane stopped to catch his breath and rubbed his eyes. "Where… did she go?" He circled and looked in every direction. There was nothing but trees… Shills went down his spine.

He turned around and called. "Keiichiro! What does the computer say?"

Akasaka was staring faceless at the screen. "Nothing… It just vanished… Like a flickering candle."


	5. Just a Pendant

elavyeth: sorry about the huge delay on posting this chapter, life has been hectic. x.x

I have a warning: there will be one more flashback after this chapter and then the story will hit the spot. Stay tuned and review, please. :)

Do NOT own TMM!

--

**Part one**** - Lost**

Throughout the entire morning, the Mews kept looking around. Despite being a small park, it had a huge area of trees. Shirogane kept asking Akasaka if the computer showed any signs of mew aqua, but he would give the same negative answer again and again.

"Aaahh… I give up!" Minto leaned against a tree and sat down to catch her breath. "We've been searching all morning and nothing!"

Purin fell on Minto. "Purin's hungry, na no da…"

Shirogane was awfully quiet, staying still and staring at oblivion. Akasaka approached him. "Ryou, let's get back to the café… It's lunch time, we'll keep looking after we eat."

He didn't seem to pay attention. "Keiichiro, do you think I'm fantasising too much by thinking the woman had mew aqua with her?"

Akasaka scratched his chin. "Well… She might have it without realising it. It's not the first time it happens."

"Then where the heck did she go?" Both of them turned around to see Zakuro talking.

"I know I'm not loony, she was there and gone the next minute… I guarantee you that."

"I wonder if Ichigo-san is ok…" Said Retasu.

Akasaka closed the screen and put the computer inside the bag. "We can't continue on an empty stomach." He smiled. "Come. Let's have some lunch."

--

Ichigo closed the front door behind her. There was a note from her mother on the floor. She didn't have to read it to know there was no one in the house.

Her feet were hurting from wondering around, avoiding to come home. Staying there meant being alone.

"Baka… Why did you have to go? Just when I needed your presence the most... And now this." She lifted her skirt and threw the mark a look full of hatred. Then she sighed and went upstairs to her bedroom, plopping on the bed, staring at the ceiling. _'I guess just because we got the mark, doesn't mean there will be troubles… It's only mew aqua showing up. The aliens are no longer here and it's been quite a peaceful time…'_

The thought brought a little smile to her face, but it quickly faded away when she remembered Masaya. Ichigo felt embarrassed and didn't tell anyone… She couldn't bring herself to admit that Masaya asked for some space. Some space… The crappiest two words of her life. She knew he had to follow his dream; she was obviously not going to stand in his way. But then he had to say that painful sentence... _'Can we be friends?'_

Like so many times before, some tears forced their way out. Ichigo grabbed the sheets and snuggled down in bed. She was getting comfortable and used to the feeling. Her mind was numb.

"Maybe I should go back to the café… Everyone's probably irked with me, but I certainly prefer their company to this."

It took a while for her body to obey her thoughts. She just lingered and looked out the window. "I hope the aliens are doing better than me." Ichigo giggled. With a jolt of energy she stood up, stretched her arms and grabbed her purse. Humming a cheerful melody, she left the house.

--

**Part three**** – Just a Pendant**

_A__ faint bluish light filled the room and Kishu woke up. It was just enough to see the lines of the objects in the house. The sun had yet to be born._

_Still sleepy and feverish, he scratched his chest and turned his head slightly to the right. He couldn't see very well but it looked like Sayuri was sleeping near the round table, using the cushions as a mattress. "I'm thirsty…" He whispered, hoping she would hear him. "Sayuri… I'm thirsty…"_

_The fever was taking it__s toll. Kishu was dehydrated and sweating a lot; his hair was glued to his face and the bandages were wet and hot, making the wounds itch. He slowly slid out of bed and sat on the floor breathing hard. Its coldness was soothing against his burning skin… So nice. "Sayuri…" He called again, this time with more effort. She didn't move._

'_I'm not feeling too good…'_

_Lying down, he pulled__ the curtain aside and dragged himself with his elbows, enjoying the fresh temperature of the wood. When he had almost reached her, Kishu stretched out his hand to touch her, but for some reason he stopped and stared. Got a little closer and sat up. And continued to stare._

_She looked…harmless. If he wanted to kill her, there was no better chance. Seemingly naked under a white sheet, lying comfortably on fluffy pillows was the girl who saved him. Just like that… With her eyes closed and mouth slightly opened, her chest rising and descending… Her breath was so peaceful it could only be heard in that absolute silence. Her skin glowed with the faint light of dawn._

_How could she sleep so soundly with him in the same room? He threatened to stab her. Was she not afraid at all?!_

_Kishu realised his chin dropped and closed his mouth embarrassed… How was he supposed to wake her up now? She was wearing no clothes! He'd probably get smacked…_

_He stood up weakly and decided to find some water on his own. He could hardly stand on his feet and felt a wee bit too high… After gaining some temporary balance he ventured towards the shelves he saw before. So many jars and pots… There had to be something to drink in them. He knocked a small one down and before it touched the grown, he managed to grab it sacrificing his balance and falling on the wooden boards with a loud thump. "Shit!"_

_Quickly looking at Sayuri by the corner of the eye, he made sure she was still asleep. 'Sigh…' Close one._

_J__ust as he was going to have another try, something caught his attention. A blue box. He saw it on the first day… but now it had some kind of shimmer._

_Again he looked back at the girl and then reached for it. Carefully not to make any creaking noise he opened it._

"_What the…?"_

_Kishu's face was lightened by the peculiar content__s of the box and squinting was the only way he could see what it was. In the middle of all that brightness he distinguished a small object. He put his hand inside the box and took it out. The minute he touched it he felt a wave of warmth invading him from head to toe, making him feel weightless._

_It was a gemstone so little it fit perfectly into his hand; and it had a silver chain attached to it._

_It was so nice… He was feeling on top of the world and it looked like he could do just about anything._

_He heard some noise and looked back at Sayuri. She was now sleeping with her belly facing down, her arms embracing the cushions, some hair lying gently on her back. The blue light of the gem was filling the cottage and Kishu could see more clearly now. That was when he noticed something on the bottom of her back, some sort of stain… 'Is that a bruise?'_

_He stood up and walked towards her easily. That was weird; he could hardly sustain his legs a moment ago… Ignoring that, he squatted next__ to her, blushing slightly… At that point, the sheet was only covering her bottom and legs leaving her delicate back completely exposed._

_And the stain was no stain at all, more like a birth mark or something. There were two wavy lines, one above the other. Very simple and yet so perfectly drawn like a tattoo…_

_Kishu wasn't thinking and with his hand opened he touched the drawing. There it was… the same odd feeling he had when she first touched him__, but stronger this time._

'_This is… so good…' He couldn't help but closing his eyes. The brightness of the stone was more intense now and for a moment that seemed like forever, Kishu experienced an almost orgasmic feeling__ all over his wet body. He threw his head back slowly and took deep breaths, every one of them causing his blood to rush to his vital organs and genitalia, making him believe he was floating somehow…_

_He let out a gentle moan and opened his eyes lazily, looking down at the girl who was still sleeping totally unaware. 'I could kill her now… and she wouldn't even… notice.'_

_He knew he was risking being caught, but he couldn't – didn't want to – take back his hand. What was happening to him? His hand was closing in an attempt to claw her back and he was grinding his teeth, making an effort not to do it. It was overwhelming… like he was sharing his intimacy with her._

_But… something was not right._

"_Aaaaahh!!"_

_Suddenly the gemstone lost its light and Kishu fell back on the floor panting and blinking, confused with what had just happened._

_Sayuri had woken up and covered her bare body with the sheet. The look on her face was terrifying… Her eyes had the same glow as the stone and she was staring menacingly at Kishu. He didn't know what to do and he couldn't move… He was paralysed by her eyes._

_There was a moment of tension and danger between them._

_Then Sayuri blinked and the glowing stare faded away. "Kishu?... What are you doing on the floor so early in the morning?" She asked naturally, rubbing her eyelids._

_Kishu was stunned. She didn't notice?... How couldn't she have noticed?!_

"_I… huh… was looking for some water." He evaded, hiding the gemstone behind his back._

_Sayuri was suddenly pretty much awake. "Oh dear! I fell asleep so soundly!… I'm sorry, this isn't normal…" She quickly sat down next to him, still holding the white sheet around her body._

_Kishu immediately looked away. "Can't you at least get dressed?!" He complained; his face as red as a tomato._

_Sayuri laughed at him. "Don't worry, I'm only checking your forehead." She said while touching it. "Hmm your fever has come down. That's good news. I think…"_

_Kishu held his breath. He noticed a suspicion in that sentence and waited for some kind of scolding. But the girl just stood up and he watched her walk to a corner to lift a wooden tile that revealed a not very deep trap-door._

_Kishu raised an eyebrow. "Is that meant for someone to fall in it?"_

_She smiled amused. "No… It's where I put the water pot to keep it fresh." She took a clay glass from one of the shelves and poured some water for Kishu. "Here, drink as much as you want."_

_Then she headed to the bed and closed the curtain__. "What are you doing?" Asked the intrigued green alien._

"_Getting dressed." He heard her saying. "No peaking. Or else."_

_Kishu couldn't tell if she was kidding or if that was a real threat. Somehow she didn't inspire much trust at that moment. 'Gee… I wonder why.' While he drank his water, he looked at the gemstone again. It wasn't shining anymore, which was so odd… He never felt like that before. 'What the heck happened?' Over his shoulder he stared at the purple curtain. He could vaguely see her silhouette…_

_The sun was almost out, so more light came in from the east window. The crickets were silent and birds were chirping outside._

_Then Sayuri noisily opened the curtain, wearing a white tunic and jeans. "Alright, time for your bath!" She said happily._

_Kishu__ blinked twice. "Huh?"_

"_Your bath, boy. You haven't washed yourself in five days and you're starting to stink." She said, plugging her nose with her hand._

"_Hey! That's not very nice!" He yelled and then sulked. "It's not my fault I'm ill." He mumbled._

_The girl jumped from the bed to the floor. "You're not ill, you just had a fever because of the infected wounds. But they are healing better now." She walked around the cottage, getting some things for Kishu's bath._

_He panicked. "You're not expecting __me__ to let __you__ bathe me, are you?"_

"_No. You're going to do it yourself, after I take your bandages off." She said a little annoyed. Kishu felt it wiser not to push the subject any further._

"_There! I think I have everything." She stuck the stuff inside a leader bag and put it over the shoulder and across the chest. Then she helped Kishu up. He still didn't get that weird radiation coming from her. "Where are we going?" He asked._

"_You'll see."_

_When they stepped outside the door, Kishu was dazzled. That place was just beautiful!… The trees and grass were painted with the greenest green he ever saw. The sky was immense and the orange light coming from the sunrise was breath taking. "Wow… I… I've never seen anything like this…"_

_Sayuri smiled. "Careful, you're almost drooling."_

_Kishu cleaned his mouth hastily and didn't notice he was using the hand where he had the gemstone, with the chain hanging from it. When he realised it it was too late… The girl was staring at him._

"_Erm… I found it?" He said smiling stupidly._

_Sayuri didn't seem surprised. "Yes I know." She said calmly._

_Kishu's eyes widened. "You do?" 'Then maybe she knows what happened. Crap…' He looked at it inquiringly. "What is it exactly?"_

_Her face went emotionless all of a sudden. "Just a pendant."_


	6. I Don't Trust You

elavyeth: I know, I know... I took too long to write this one. It has been hard with final exams to study for. :sigh: But here it is and I hope you enjoy it. I wanted to make something more of it, though... I'll compensate on the next chapter. :)

As for the person who flamed me: although the language is insulting, I accepted that my writing was nothing special. It's hard for me to write in english, since it's not my language. But then I saw the review was made on the 1st chapter, some minutes after I had published the 5th one, which makes me wonder if he even read a word of the story or just randomly picked a story to flame (which he claims it's not true). Despite the fact that my story might be crappy, it does not help his credibility.

Anyway, let's get to busyness. lol

Do not own TMM!

--

_"Erm… I found it?" He said smiling stupidly._

_Sayuri didn't seem surprised. "Yes I know." She said calmly._

_Kishu's eyes widened. "You do?" 'Then maybe she knows what happened. Crap…' He looked at it inquiringly. "What is it exactly?"_

_ Her face went emotionless all of a sudden. "Just a pendant."_

--

**Part one – I (Don't) Trust You**

_With his arm over Sayuri's shoulders, Kishu kept walking with her in a tense silence. He couldn't help feeling a little guilty. Taking such an odd object without asking for permission… There was obviously a good reason she kept it hidden, which he witnessed in first hand…_

_He looked at her by the corner of the eye. Her face was very serious and her green eyes wide open without blinking, staring ahead. 'I swear this human gives me the creeps…' Kishu sighed, tightening his grip on the pendant. 'I don't have much choice but to stay here for sometime, until I find a way to get out. Might as well try to… I dunno... get along.' He smacked his head. 'Sympathizing with a human, what an ironic stupidity...'_

_Sayuri raised an eyebrow at his gesture and looked as if she was going to say something, but instead she just stared back at the path. Kishu open his mouth several times, but his throat tightened and nothing would come out. He had no idea what to say to break the ice._

_After a while, the path started to go up slightly and they entered a forest._

_Kishu suddenly sneezed. He was only wearing his damaged shorts and bandages. With bare feet and half naked, he was starting to feel a little cold, despite the warm summer breeze. He scratched his nose with the back of his hand and cursed her in his mind. She probably did it on purpose to bring him like that…_

_Sayuri finally stopped and with her also did Kishu. They had reached an immense glade with a matching lake. The sun was out half above the horizon maybe, since it wasn't visible with all the trees around. But its orange light was unmistakable and it gave the water a beautiful golden glimmer. The green alien was dumbstruck. Never – ever – in his life did he have the opportunity to look at such a majestic image. He felt like crying… That was their home planet, just as described by the ancients; the proving of a legend right in front of his glittering honey eyes._

_Sayuri noticed his shivering body. She let go of him without a word and waved her hand for him to follow. He walked behind her, half in trance with the surroundings._

_Sayuri sat on the edge of the lake and put the leather bag down. "Sit next to me." Her voice was silky. Kishu jerked and nodded, walking slowly towards her. When he sat down, he saw very thin steam coming out of the water. That lake was certainly not cold. Then the girl got closer to him to take his bandages off. Kishu was prepared to feel some pain and kept his eyes shut. But there was nothing of the kind. She started with his arms and legs – where there were only superficial wounds – and her hands would move with grace and care. She was doing her best not to hurt him. Then there was only the one on his chest left._

"_This is going to hurt a little." Sayuri said calmly. He was guessing that already… But what he didn't see coming was what she did next. She sat on his lap, with her face only a palm away from his and her legs on both sides. Kishu blushed like crazy. "W-What are you doing?..."_

"_Securing your legs." She started taking off the edges all around the bandage. Her face was so close that Kishu could feel her breath on his chest, which made him feel a little uneasy. That wasn't hurting at all… In fact he was feeling rather nice. He always felt odd with her touch. He closed his eyes for a moment and remembered what had happened at the cottage._

_However, his thoughts were broken. "Get ready." Sayuri warned._

"_Huh? Ready for wha- OOWWWW!! DAMNIT!!" She pulled the bandage off with all her strength and Kishu felt as if his skin had gone with it too. The pain was so excruciating, he collapsed on the grass. He looked at her, breathing hard. "Damn… you… human…"_

_Sayuri ignored him and got up from his lap. She leaned over the lake and shelled her hands to get some water, which she then carefully poured on his chest wound. Kishu took a deep breath of comfort. It was warm and it made the pain fainter. He sat up and looked at his chest with his eyes half closed. What an ugly wound… There was a deep cut, severely burned around the edges. He could have died. He really could have died… He lowered his head. "Time for my bath, eh?..." He smiled sadly. 'I owe her.'_

_Sayuri gathered the things for his bath and placed them next to him. "Undress and get in the lake." She handed him a bar of soap. It smelled like lilies as well. "You can wash yourself with this, it makes foam. Spread it all over your body and rub it, it cleans the dirt and sweat." She stood up._

"_Where are you going?" Kishu asked._

"_I'll be around, just giving you some privacy."_

_She turned to leave, but Kishu grabbed her wrist. "Wait!"_

_Sayuri looked back at him. He felt embarrassed and let go of her. He stretched his arm to give her the pendant back. "I'm sorry I took it. But I was really looking for water…" He heard a giggle and jerked up. She was smiling. 'Phew…'_

_She grabbed the pendant and kneeled in front of him. Then she put her hands on the back of his head, tying the silver chain around his neck. Seeing Kishu's awed face, she touched the gemstone. A sudden heat ran through his body and he gasped… When she removed her hand, the stone was glowing a little._

"_Does it make you feel better?" She asked._

_Kishu nodded amazed. "Is this… a present?"_

_She walked away from him a few steps then turned back. "No, I'm lending. I can't give it to you." Her face was sad for a moment. The she smirked. "You can keep it, as long as you don't run off with it, that is."_

_And with that, she left through the trees._

_Kishu's eyes followed her until she disappeared. He slapped himself mentally and loosened his braids, at the same time making sure he was really alone. In such a huge glade, it was hard not to feel exposed. "Privacy… meh." Then he finally took off his shorts and stepped into the water._

"_It's so warm…" Gently for the wounds not to hurt, he dove his body in and the steam he saw before embraced him like a friend, waving and swirling around his body and over his head. For a moment, he couldn't feel his own self… He was weightless, powerless. His mind cleared and his orbs rolled up. His body was nothing but a feather hovering with the draft of hot air and moist._

_Silence._

_Then the sound of water. The sun rising up and its light peaking through the tree trunks and branches._

_It was idyllic and timeless. Kishu didn't feel like moving a finger or saying a word. He lingered there, with his lazy eyes closed. He was feeling almost the same as in the cottage… this incredible taste of purity and ecstasy at the same time. It was impossible – unthinkable – to break the flowing of his blood to his vital and most irrigated organs. It was happening again and his thoughts drifted back a little. Sayuri's naked body under the sheets and her tanned skin under a blue light… The way her hair slid down her back and her tattoo rested on the bottom of it… An urge… An inexplicable urge raging in him…_

_Something was not right… But he allowed himself to go even further in his mind. With control over nothing, Kishu indulged his body and had an erection. It was smooth… but he was powerfully aroused nevertheless. And he didn't fight it. He moaned and looked down at his member in surprise. The gemstone on his chest was glowing like before. 'What's this?... I'm… I'm…'_

_The feeling was growing so strong, he began clawing his belly slowly, erotically. He wanted to feel more, to swallow the air and twist his body in absolute pleasure. He couldn't hold back._

_Then the same thing happened as before. The mysterious light repelled Kishu and he was pushed back, causing the water to wave a great deal. He widened his eyes and quickly swam to the edge of the lake._

_Confused and breathless, he rested his head on the grass. "What… just happened to me?..."_

_Sayuri was nowhere near him. He could hardly speak, let alone scream. And for some weird reason he was panicking._

_He reached behind his neck to untie the necklace but it was impossible. It wouldn't come out._

_Gradually his heart beat normalized and he calmed down._

_Still no sign of her._

_He grabbed the soap lying next to him and breathed in the smell, which climbed up his nose and shook his head like a drug. "That's better…" Kishu stared at it for while and then rubbed it on his chest. "Wow, foam. Just like she said." He washed himself further down until he realized he was still aroused. 'Great. I wanted to talk to her, but if she comes back and sees me like this it's gonna be an awkward subject for a conversation.'_

_--_

_By the time Sayuri returned to the lake, Kishu was wrapped in a towel and lying on the grass sleeping. She smirked and approached him silently. His hair was wet and glued to his face, his mouth was open and he was drooling. Wrapped like that, he looked like a cocoon._

_Sayuri shook him softly. "Kishu… Wake up."_

_He said something in his sleep and turned the other way, which caused the towel to fall and show some more skin. Sayuri looked the other way and sighed, shaking him again but firmly this time. "Wake up, boy. You're going to catch a cold."_

_Kishu opened his eyelids heavily and raised his head. "Yourebackalready…" He mumbled._

"_Yes. Sorry if I took so long, I was checking something."_

_Kishu rubbed his eyes and immediately covered himself when he noticed he was almost naked. "Checking what?"_

"_I'll show you in a while. Now it's time to go back and put a new bandage on your wound. And there's also breakfast." She handed Kishu his shorts. He noticed blisters on her hands and was going to ask, but she turned her back to him. "Dress that, I'll wait."_

_Kishu quickly pulled them up. "Done."_

"_Good." Sayuri took the bag from the floor and put everything back inside. She grabbed Kishu's arm again to help him walk. He had to concentrate not to let those images back in his mind again. It was harder than he thought though, so he started talking while they walked._

"_This pendant you gave me makes me feel strange things…" He waited for her to say something._

"_Strange how?" She asked._

"_Well… huh... It made me feel good and suddenly it shook me, like it was kicking me in the… I think you get the idea."_

_She remained in thought. "That gemstone you're carrying is meant to ease pain, among many other utilities. But if you overuse it, it may very well have the opposite effect." She looked at him and smiled oddly. "If you like your life, you better not abuse its nature."_

_Kishu frowned. "I really don't' trust you, you know…"_

_Sayuri shrugged. "Can't imagine why not." She was smirking, but there was a bit of hurt caused by his remark._

_After a tense silence, the alien spoke._

"_I tried to take it off when it hurt me, but I couldn't…"_

"_Of course not." She said, silkily. "I put it around your neck; I'm the only one who can take it off."_

_Kishu gulped and stopped, making her stop too. "Then if it's dangerous, why would you put it on me?"_

_Sayuri looked defiantly at him. "Why wouldn't I? You said it was good." She pulled him softly, making him start walking again. "And it won't be that dangerous, unless you decide to get out of this place."_

_Kishu grinded his teeth and didn't reply._

_When they were almost reaching the cottage, he violently pushed her away summoning his swords and Sayuri hit her head on a tree, ten feet away from him. "Bitch! Take this off! Stop manipulating me!"_

_She didn't move. Her body was limp, leaned against the tree. Her hair was covering her eyes._

_Kishu growled nervous. "You made a big mistake by saving me, human!" Still no answer. "Take this thing off of me!" He lowered his arms hesitantly. A hint of regret came over him. "Sayuri?..."_

_He took one step forward and stared. 'She's dead?... She can't be…'_

"_Oy… Are you listening?" It was no good; he had to take a closer look. Dropping the swords, he approached her cautiously and squatted. His heart was beating fast._

"_Sayuri… Wake up." When he was close enough, he could see that her hands were much more than just blistered. He pulled her chin up. That wasn't good. 'What did I do?' "Sayuri… Sayuri!" He grabbed her and began shaking her back and forth. "Look at me! You stupid human, look at me!" Despair came over him and he tightened his grip, which made her shoulders bleed a little._

_She opened her eyes slightly._

_Kishu detained himself. 'Thank god…'_

"_Sayuri I'm… I… didn't think you were this weak." He really meant to apologize. He held her in his arms, since she couldn't sustain herself._

_She moved her lips, trying to say something. Kishu approached his ear to her mouth._

"_Give… me… your… hand…" She asked in a faint whisper. With his right arm around her, he suspiciously gave his left hand. Sayuri grabbed it weakly and turned slightly towards him, leaning her head on his shoulder. _

_Kishu jerked. She guided his hand to her mark. "Touch… there…" She asked._

_He blushed, but didn't contradict her. Gently he touched her skin, slowly sliding down to reach her mark. He did it on purpose. He could have touched it directly… But something in her was teasing him. And he knew what was about to take place… So he prepared himself mentally for it. "Sayuri… Are you ok?" He whispered to her ear. She shivered and curled up against him. The jewel started glowing… And the light embraced them._

_There was no sound, only light and a breeze. Sayuri's hair tickled his neck and he looked up groaning. It was happening again… and he didn't want it to end. Like before, his body was responding pleasurably and the warmth was driving him temporarily insane. He brought her closer to him._

_But she pushed him away delicately._

_Kishu 'woke up' a bit dozed. He was expecting something to throw him back, but he was standing at the same spot and the effect was disappearing. He looked at Sayuri, who was sitting up and cleaning the back of her tunic. She had a sad expression on her face. The green alien bit his lower lip in guilt. He couldn't imagine how he thought of her as a menace, if he knocked her out so easily. He wanted to say something to her. Anything would be good… But he was unable to make a sound._

"_I think we can skip breakfast." She suddenly said, standing up and walking away. "Come. I'll show it to you."_

_Kishu sensed it was serious. She didn't even offer to help him up like she used to and it hurt a little. He ruined it all. There was no other option but to nod and follow her, so he did. It was the first time Sayuri turned her back on him. His chest started aching, but he didn't complain. It was most probably a way of sulking for not getting her attention. They had to walk for a while and he was feeling cold again, so he rubbed his shoulders. 'She must enjoy seeing me walking around half-naked…' He sneered._

_Sayuri saw it, so she opened the huge leather bag, took out a piece of clothing and gave it to Kishu. "Cover yourself with that." It was a long and velvety dark blue cloak, with a beautiful silver button. It had the same shape as her tattoo. He threw it around his shoulders and pulled the cap onto his head. "Thanks…" He mumbled. At first he suspected a trap. But the darn thing actually felt cozy. It was good enough that she was caring for him, even if so coldly._

_After some fifteen minutes, the scenery started to change._

"_We're here." Sayuri said, still moving. Kishu didn't have to ask. He instantly guessed where they were and was in shock. The crash site… All around, on a sixty feet radius circle, there were stripped and burned trees. Dark was the main color… The singed grass was covered with ashes all over, but he could see clean spots here and there where new plants were starting to grow. And right in the middle of that destruction was his ship. His chin dropped and he fell on his butt._

_Sayuri, on the other hand, approached the ship and cuddled it like a pet. "I have good news for you." She said, turning to Kishu. "Although your ship is – obviously – much damaged, the engine is still useful."_

_Kishu jerked up surprised. "You know… how the ship works?"_

"_Not really." She shrugged. "But I know enough to recognize a motor when I see one. And it looks good to me." She walked back and sat next to him, staring at the ship in thought. "Where did you come from and why are you here?"_

_The alien looked away. "It's none of your busyness."_

_Sayuri ignored the answer. "Of all places… you fell right onto this island. I wonder…"_

"_Wonder what?" He asked. But it seamed like she was talking more to herself than to him._

_She snapped out of it and looked at Kishu. "You can build a new ship."_

_His eyes widened and glimmered. "With what?"_

"_The pieces of metal that I collected and cleaned the past few days." She smiled. "Well… Maybe it won't be as big. Some of them were destroyed beyond repairing. It'll have to be very simple, because I don't have technology resources…" She kept going on about the materials that could be used, but Kishu wasn't paying attention anymore. His eyes were locked on her. She was actually trying to help him. Suddenly the reaction he had before seemed appalling to him. He was willing to kill her… And he would have, if she hadn't looked so helpless in front of him._

"_Kishu? Are you listening?" Sayuri was waving her hand in front of him._

"_Huh… Yes!" He jumped._

"_So what do you think? I'm not much of a help, though."_

"_Oh, I just have to take a peak at the engine to see if it's good like you said. If it is, it will be easy for me to build the whole thing." He puffed up with pride. "I'm actually the most talented navigator where I come from."_

"_Really?" Sayuri smirked and looked at the wrecked ship. "You don't say…"_

_The green alien sulked immediately and crossed his arms. "That's wasn't my fault. My calculations to enter the Earth's atmosphere were accurate, but something strange happened and I lost control. I've been thinking, but can't figure out what it was…"_

"_I know what it was." Sayuri let out._

_Kishu head quickly rotated towards her. "You do?"_

_Sayuri gasped and smiled, changing the subject. "We need to treat that wound of yours! Let's move!" And with that she stood up energetically. "I've been a little tired lately from cleaning up this place, so I get easily distracted."_

_Kishu got up as well. "You've been doing that by yourself?"_

"_How else did you expect me to do it?"_

_He observed the area around. Something shiny on top of a half-burned tree caught his attention. He got closer and saw a crystal high up there. "The teleporter! It's intact!" He stripped off the cloak and was going to reach for it, but Sayuri beat him to it. "I'll do it."_

"_It's ok, I…"_

"_No." She said. "You're injured." And she started climbing. Agile as a monkey, she grabbed the object in no time. But when she was coming down, a burnt branch broke and she lost balance._

"_Whoa!" Kishu immediately flew up and caught her in his arms._

_She was stunned. "You can fly?..."_

_Kishu smilled sheepishly and was going to brag about it, but the sight of her face stopped him. She was blushing! That was something he never witnessed… And it embarrassed him as well, so before he could even sense a pinch of heat rushing to his cheeks, he went back to the ground and carefully dropped her. "Huh… It's normal for me to fly! He he…" He scratched the back of his head, not knowing what else to do with his hands. Sayuri wasn't facing him, so he changed the subject. "You know, I'm starving! Breakfast would… be good right… about now… Wow… I don't feel… so hot…"_

_Sayuri jumped just in time to catch him before he reached the floor, but his limpness weighted on her, causing her to fall back with him on top. "I told you to stay put because you're wounded, why didn't you listen?" She scolded._

_He rolled his head to look at her, not caring if they were in an awkward position. He was feeling weak and didn't want to move, but mostly because he was touching her. It wasn't hands or arms only… Their bodies were rubbing against each other. A larger touching surface made him feel more of that weird vibration that came out of her whenever there was contact. "You're a human; you can't order me around…" He said, with a zombie voice. Kishu lowered his head and leaned it against her chest to tease her. After a few seconds he raised it again in shock. He couldn't hear a heartbeat… "Are you ok?"_

_She pushed him aside – with a light pink on her cheeks still – and sat up. "Yes, why?"_

_Kishu shook his head. "Nothing."_

"_Let's go back, then!" She giggled nervously._

**Part two – Going Back**

Pai's blood was boiling. Kishu had fallen asleep in the middle of the conversation, so he had to leave the infirmary by order of the doctor. And he had the impression that he was not telling everything; the story seemed a bit disconnected on details. If Kishu met with a human in such circumstances, it should have been easy to deal with her, despite the damage he took. From what he gathered, she was alone.

He was now packing up and making the last preparations for departure. Taruto was flying around, whistling a cheerful melody that was getting on his nerves. "I don't understand how he crashed so easily, that doesn't sound like Kishu!" Taruto said.

Pai nodded. "True. Probably the ship was malfunctioning."

"Yes, but still…" Taruto shrugged.

Someone teleported into the room and both aliens jumped. It was Kishu.

"What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be lying down?" Taruto asked concearned.

"Nah, I'm super." He looked around and shook a finger at Pai. "You weren't planning to go without me, were you?"

"As much as I wanted to… no. We were waiting for you to get better."

Kishu lied down on a bed with his arms behind his head. "I'm as good as new already." He smiled forcefully and grabbed the small bump under his shirt.

Taruto sat next to him. "Kishu, how did you get out of that place? Where was it?"

Kishu's face darkened. "I can't remember very well, there's a blur. I remember rebuilding the ship, which took me a lot of time. And when I finally finished, Sayu-… the human acted funny."

Pai frowned. "What do you mean?"

The green alien raised his hands and looked up. "I dunno… She wouldn't let me leave." Seeing their curious faces, he continued. "By the time I finished, I ran a small test and flew around the island I think. She kept telling me to fly low… When I mentioned the day I was planning on retuning home, she threatened me."

Pai got closer. "What did she say?"

"Hmm… All I recall is her saying 'you can't leave now, or the consequences will be terrible'." He let go of the pendant.

Pai pointed at the pendant. "Why did you bring that with you?"

"The gem? I couldn't take it off, so I just let it be. I know I tried to run away… The human was getting dangerous and threatening me everyday. But I made her trust me eventually and she let her guard down. So I took my opportunity to flee…" He stared at the floor.

Pai raised an eyebrow. "Why do I sense guilt in your words?"

Kishu's hair covered his eyes. "Ever since that day I have dreams. I mean, I don't know if they're dreams or flashbacks." He raised his knees and wrapped his arms around them. "She keeps screaming my name in despair and panic… Begging me not to leave and crying. I can't see her face, only her eyes and they're full of fear… And anger, so much anger…" He closed his hand in a fist. "That happens while I'm flying away, and she grows smaller with the distance. Her voice fades away… then there's an explosion and I wake up."

"Did you try to go back there on our last journey?" Pai asked.

Kishu sighed and scratched his forehead. "I wanted to, but I had no idea where that godforsaken island was."

Taruto had been listening and devouring their every word. "What did you want to see her for?"

"I don't know… To apologize maybe."

"Apologize for what?"

"For breaking her trust." He said on a half-voice. "But that was a long time ago." Then he teleported next to the door and smiled. "I'm going to get ready. We leave tomorrow. Maybe I'll see Ichigo again!" And he disappeared laughing.


End file.
